I will be in Seattle on April 13-15 and noticed y'all are taking on my least favorite team in the league. I wanted to try and catch a game if tickets weren't too expensive, and seeing who you are playing I'm more than willing to shell out $34ish a piece (wife coming). I pulled up the website for tickets and noticed a lot of different sections at that lower ($34) price range. Is there a better section? Is the Hawk's Nest really cool? What areas are going to have limited seating? What would you suggest? Any info is greatly welcomed. Mods on this forum: feel free to move this with another thread or delete it shortly after I receive an answer.
Hawk's Nest is neat but it's metal bleachers and can be really miserable in bad weather (April is the cruelest month and all that.) My standard advice to people from out of town - especially early in the season - is to get something on the west side under the roof. The upper deck seats have great views, the club seats are the most sheltered (and most expensive) - people sit in both. The lower sideline sections are fun, but everyone stands and the slope is low so short people beware. (I don't recommend seats behind the goals unless you're prepared to support the Sounders, as opposed to cheering against the cRapids.) Honestly, sight-lines are good almost anywhere, even in the corners. It's a really compact NFL stadium. I'd take a good look at the seating chart (http://www.soundersfc.com/Tickets/Seating-Chart.aspx) - and I'd also recommend looking at the Ticket Exchange linked from http://www.soundersfc.com/Tickets/Single-Game-Tickets.aspx. This isn't a high-demand match and there are tickets going for less than face there.
For "how's my seat going to see the field" this is useful http://www.seats3d.com/mls/seattle_sounders_fc/ Stay in the 100s if you like to stand (and don't mind being wet) or the 200s if you like to sit under cover. I haven't sat in the upper deck, so I don't know how those seats are.
I say 143. It's my section, it's a good angle onto the field, it's easy to get in and out, and it's cheap. I've experimented in 142 and 144 and 143 is where it's at.
Here are some quick-facts, and you can choose according to your preferences. 1) Virtually everyone in any 100-level section stands the entire game (although the north end has 100-level sections that sit, I think). 2) Virtually everyone in any 300-level section sits the entire game. 3) The sections between the 18-yard boxes in the 200-level are required to sit (or, it's like-- if anyone complains, security is allowed to make you sit). 4) The Hawks' nest is a steep aluminum section that is very exposed to the weather (but pretty awesome, because of its steepness). 5) The sideline 100-level seats closer than row M are uncovered. 6) Some sections have all-inclusive concessions priced into the ticket... but I'm not sure which those are. 7) The 300-level really has a great view. 8) The supporter sections are 121-123 in the south end. There are supporters in the north end too, but in general the south end is rowdy and the north is benign.
Any suggestions on a place to eat Saturday night after the game? My wife and I will be in town from Friday til Sunday and are looking for some good places outside the normal. We're going to the Pink Door on Friday night if you had to pick one place in Seattle to eat, where would it be? what's the best seafood place? we'll be grabbing a bowl of clam chowder from Ivar's before/during the game... Keep the prices reasonable (Pink Door prices would be about the top of the price range)
Ivar's has some sit down restaurants on the waterfront that is fairly decent, but I'd avoid the fast food restaurants if you're looking for good seafood. The Crab Pot is also on the waterfront and is a fairly unique experience as they basically dump a collection of shellfish (crabs, clams, etc), potatoes and sausages between you and the person you're with, hand you a mallet and you start whacking your way to the meat inside the shells. The wait at The Crab Pot can be rather long, so if you do go, go early. Pink Door is pretty good. I haven't gone on a Friday, but the trapeze on Sundays and Mondays is very entertaining (depending on where you sit, the performer can be right over your head) and the cabaret on Saturdays is usually fun, but can be.. interesting... if you aren't ready for it, or are expecting a strip show.
Anthony's will do a competent job, Salty's will blow your budget if Pink Door is the top of your range. BTW, "seafood restaurants" are mostly for tourists here - seafood is ubiquitous here, so any good restaurant will do a good job with it. That said, Chinook's (at the fisherman's terminal near Ballard) is a good bet if you have a rental car - it overlooks the home port of most of the Alaskan fishing fleet (yeah, those "deadliest catch" vessels put in there too) - and they do a competent job with straightforward seafood preparations. All that said, the place I take all of my out-of-town guests is the Palace Kitchen, and they almost always ask to go back there on subsequent visits. That's my top recommendation for a reasonably-priced "nice" dinner in town. Edit: also, Pike Place Chowder (in the market) blows away Ivar's, and you should get some pho tai chin at Pho Bac on 7th ave south (in the chinatown/international district,just east of centurylink field) for breakfast or lunch. Seattle has awesome Viet food.
You're right. I missed the part about the budget, both of them are probably outside the range (though Salty's is really worth it).
Oh and an Esquire poll just found Dick's as the best burger in America. http://www.esquire.com/blogs/food-for-men/dicks-drive-in-7210891
can't agree with this enough. also, skip the indoor crab pot, and get the smoked cod & chips from their outdoor stand right outside the main sit down restaurant. pretty good fish, & if i recall correctly around $8 plate
My wife and I are of the same opinion: If the food makes it worth it, then we'll gladly open up the wallet a bit more. Both Anthony's and Salty's look pretty damn good. Which would you pick if you had to?
Both. Seriously though, Salty's Sunday brunch is more than worth the price of admission. Just make sure you get a reservation and either schedule it when they first open, or in 45 minute increments after they open and try to get a window seat. I haven't had dinner at Salty's, but I've heard good things.
All-inclusive tickets, at least in the 300s, no longer exists. I'm not sure if they existed anywhere else, but man was I pissed they got rid of it. It was a great deal when it was around
The North End seats are still all inclusive. Fantastic deal. My tickets are in the Hawks Nest. Great view and the angle makes you feel like you are right in the action.